How to Get Bookkeeping Clients Using LinkedIn: 3 Simple Steps

If you want to know how to get bookkeeping clients, then look no further than LinkedIn as your go-to resource.

However, you must use LinkedIn the RIGHT way or else you will fail.

The good news is that using LinkedIn is NOT that difficult. Learn how to get bookkeeping clients by leveraging LinkedIn with this simple, 3-step formula.

Step #1: “U Got the Look”

“You got the look, you got the hook!”

If Prince said it, it must be true.

You need to LOOK great on LinkedIn and you need to HOOK your prospects immediately.

In order to hook your prospects and referral partners, you need to understand that

your LinkedIn profile is all about THEM…

Repeat after me: “My LinkedIn profile is NOT about me!”

Most people use LinkedIn as a resume, focusing on who THEY are…but that’s not how you attract clients.

While you still want to show who you are and why you rock, your profile is much more about your prospective clients and referral partners than you.

So how do you make your profile rock on LinkedIn?

There are 3 elements to a rockin’ LinkedIn profile:

Professional photo

Throat-grabbing headline

Action-oriented summary

Here’s a quick exercise: think about the last movie trailer you saw that really drew you in and made you say “I gotta see that flick!” I bet that trailer had all the elements of an optimized LinkedIn profile.

Your photo is the cinematography.

If the movie trailer looks like it was shot on a flip-phone by a kindergartener…you probably paid no attention.

The same holds true for your profile.

LinkedIn is NOT Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Ditch the iPhone candid shot of you at the beach. LinkedIn ain’t the place for that!

Get a professional photo to use on your LinkedIn profile.

Next, going back to our movie trailer exercise, is the voice-over. The words used, the tone, the dramatic effect all drew you in and made you lean forward in your seat.

While you’re not presenting the next Academy Award winning film on LinkedIn, your headline is what draws in your audience. You’ve got ONE chance to tell a prospective client or referral partner that they need to check you out. With a great headline, you do just this.

Let’s get one thing clear about the headline: your profile headline is the sales pitch for your sales pitch.

What I mean is: the headline is there to draw your prospect’s attention and make them want to read on. You need them to keep reading so you can wow them with how you will help them to achieve the results THEY desire.

As you develop your LinkedIn profile, you should spend more time on the headline than any other element…it’s THAT important.

If the movie trailer has boring dialogue, you’re back to eating popcorn. Don’t let your prospect return to their popcorn; draw them into your profile with a headline that rocks.

You’ve drawn them in and wowed them, now it’s time for a killer summary with a great call to action.

The summary is a clear, succinct way of telling your prospect why YOU are the best person to help THEM achieve their desired results and what action they need to take now.

The summary details and supports the promise you made in your headline, and should ALWAYS end with a clear call-to-action.

Think of it like this: you love everything about the movie trailer, so now you want to know…When can you see this flick?

Well, you don’t have to guess because the film producer clearly tells you when and where to see the movie.

Imagine if they showed you an amazing trailer only to leave you with no “next move”.

Don’t do this with your LinkedIn profile.

You’ve grabbed your prospect’s attention and they’re stoked about you! Now, ask yourself: “What action do I want this person to take as a result of reading my awesome LinkedIn profile?”

Most of the time, it’s a clear and simple action to enter your marketing funnel. That could mean an email, a call, or a free resource for them to download (in exchange for their name and email).

Whatever the next move is you want your prospect to take, be sure to articulate this at the end of your summary. And, please…make it EASY for them.

Step #2: Build Your LinkedIn Network…without Being Creepy

If you’ve spent any time on earth, you know what creepy is. It’s the guy at the bar who sees a pretty girl and stares awkwardly. Or the girl on the first date who starts naming your future children. #creepy

If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, you’ll discover that creeps hang out there as well.

DON’T BE A LINKEDIN CREEP!

To build your network as a bookkeeper on LinkedIn is so much more than just getting connections. It’s about developing a system to find quality prospects and referral partners with whom you can SERVE.

Now, I want to take a moment and bust a myth.

The overwhelming majority of your success as a bookkeeper on LinkedIn comes not from prospects contacting you; it comes from YOU contacting prospects.

Most people think you can just set up a LinkedIn profile and get a line of prospective clients.
Sure, you might get some clients this way, but you’ll lose a lot of weight between now and then waiting for your meal ticket to be punched!

Understand that success on LinkedIn comes from your OUTREACH; not clients finding you magically.

And, the first step of outreach on LinkedIn is to build your network.

Here is a quick 3-step formula to build your network on LinkedIn:

Connect with all your friends, family and colleagues first.

Find groups (strategically selected) and join.

Provide value to your network / give to get.

Finding the right kind of groups and “working the room” so to speak, is critical to your success. Get the A-Z formula for successful group navigation with this FREE LinkedIn Liftoff toolkit.

Step #3: “Set it and forget it”…NOT!

Ronco Rotisserie® made millions with the promise of “set it and forget it”.

But, LinkedIn ain’t supper…it’s a tool to help you bring home the bacon.

LinkedIn (like most things in life worth pursuing) is not something you set and forget. It takes a little attention.

But, your attention (just 15 minutes a day) will be met with a great return on your investment in the form of new bookkeeping clients and referral partners.

To succeed on LinkedIn, you must adapt a long-term strategy that is part of the overall marketing plan of your bookkeeping business.

LinkedIn is a marathon, not a sprint!

There are lots of activities you could be doing on LinkedIn, but you want to know specifically how to get bookkeeping clients, so…

…you should ONLY be doing the activities that bring you desired RESULTS; and results that you can measure with accuracy.

With landing great bookkeeping clients as your desired outcome, here are the top 3 results-oriented activities for you to focus your LinkedIn efforts:

Communicate in an orderly, systematic fashion with connections

Connect with 5-10 new prospects and referral partners every day

Share valuable content with your network

I’ve made your daily LinkedIn activities a breeze in the FREE LinkedIn Liftoff toolkit. Get an easy-to-follow checklist of what YOU need to be doing on LinkedIn to get quality bookkeeping clients.

So, drop the mike…there you have it: the 3-step formula for using LinkedIn to get quality bookkeeping clients for your practice.

To recap how to get bookkeeping clients using LinkedIn:

Create your beautiful profile

Get connections (and don’t be a creep)

Develop a plan and work it…DAILY!

Want to know more about how to get bookkeeping clients?

Love to hear your comments and questions below. I enjoy helping bookkeepers discover how to get bookkeeping clients and create the business of their dreams. Whatever I can do to help you with yours, I am here.